SSIS Connection managers and data sources

Editor's Notes

1. Data sources are optional within SSIS, but they are beneficial during development if you have a large number of packages that need to use the same database or file connection. Using a data source also helps if you need to change a connection used in many packages. You simply change the data source once and then open each package in your project, which will automatically synchronize the connection string stored in the package with the data source.Connection Managers Integration Services uses the connection manager as a logical representation of a connection. At design time, you set the properties of a connection manager to describe the physical connection that Integration Services creates when the package runs. For example, a connection manager includes the ConnectionString property that you set at design time; at run time, a physical connection is created using the value in the connection string property. A package can use multiple instances of a connection manager type, and you can set the properties on each instance. At run time, each instance of a connection manager type creates a connection that has different attributes.
2. SQL Server Integration Services provides different types of connection managers that enable packages to connect to a variety of data sources and servers:There are built-in connection managers that Setup installs when you install Integration Services.There are connection managers that are available for download from the Microsoft Web site.You can create your own custom connection manager if the existing connection managers do not meet your needs.